Ashlyn & Mara
Wedding Party
Kate Thomas
Maid of Honor
Kate and Mara met at Pushpay in 2018 and became best friends over laughter, mexican food and margaritas. Isn't that how all great friendships start? Kate is someone that is wise beyond her years, laughs large and cares deeply for others. Kate, and her husband Matt, have become our go-to couple for game nights, movie nights, margarita nights, etc. Kate helped Mara plan Ashlyn's proposal SEVERAL times, handled the anxiety and has been Mara's "reality check" for so many situations. Kate has a way of making everyone around her feel giddy with excitement and we are so honored to have Kate stand by Mara on our wedding day.
Brenna Juul
Maid of Honor
Brenna and Ashlyn met on a sunny May afternoon, 2001, and from then on we swore to be frienemies. She swears I messed up the choreography on all our epic dance routines...I swear she hit me over the head with our Guitar Hero guitar. We will fight about this until the end. She'll forever be my annoying little sister, but I'm pretty lucky to have a guaranteed, life-long best friend.
Sarah Gasbarro
Bridesmaid
Sarah and Mara met in college and have gotten each other through a few rough times. Sarah is one of those people that brings joy wherever she goes. She's unafraid to ask hard questions of herself and others. Sarah is multi-talented as a wedding planner in Montana, a musician, a home pizza maker extroadinare and the best auntie to many many small humans.
Haley Victoria
Bridesmaid
Ashlyn and Haley met through Mara and quickly became better friends. She is always ready for an intense conversation or keeping it light and watching Hamilton. We disagree on every kind of snack item but agree that Dairy Queen is a must. She is the kind of friend that will drop everything for you when you need her and drop truth bombs on your reality when you need to hear them. She's one of a kind (in every way imaginable) and I am so lucky to have her by my side.
Hadley
Flower Girl
Hadley, and her sister Carina, are the wonderfully imaginative and creative daughters of Peter Kirby, a co-worker of Mara. In the midst of COVID, Hadley and Carina made their way onto MANY GoogleMeet calls to show Mara their toys, inventions, creative colorings, etc. Ashlyn and Mara knew they were the perfect young women to sprinkle flowers down two aisles and make sure that our ring bearers get down the aisles as well.
Carina
Flower Girl
Carina, and her sister Hadley, are the wonderfully imaginative and creative daughters of Peter Kirby, a co-worker of Mara. In the midst of COVID, Hadley and Carina made their way onto MANY GoogleMeet calls to show Mara their toys, inventions, creative colorings, etc. Ashlyn and Mara knew they were the perfect young women to sprinkle flowers down two aisles and make sure that our ring bearers get down the aisles as well.
Brady & Bishop
Ring Bearer
Brady and Bishop were just wee little ones when Ashlyn first started nannying them the summer before nursing school. We've stayed connected through their amazing parents, Kimber and Drew, who have loved and embraced both Ashlyn and Mara through their coming out process. Ashlyn loves these two as if they were her own and is slowly working to convince Mara that twins are the way to go.
Lincoln & Rocky
Ring Bearer
Ashlyn started babysitting Link when he was just a few months old and has stayed part of the family through the addition of Rocky, Anna and Nate buying a home, and busy football seasons. They are both spunky with completely opposite personalities but the best little men you could ask for.
Peg Achterman
Officiant
Peg is one that we could write pages about. Peg started as a professor in Mara's life and quickly became a mentor. Mara rented a room at Peg's home at one point, and a few years later, Ashlyn rented the same room. Peg has been a mentor in so many ways to both Ashlyn and Mara. She calls it as she sees it and she isn't afraid to tell you if she disagrees with you. Often, that wasn't what we wanted to hear - but what we needed to hear. She is adventurous with her pup Millie (whom we love). She's a forward thinker, always pushing for change and advocating for the marginalized. She's wise but would never call herself that. She's one of those people that does and says everything out of the kindness of her heart and never for the attention. We're honored to have her marry us.
Anna Carroll
Wedding Planner
Anna hired Ashlyn as her babysitter (well...Link and Rocky's babysitter) three years ago but from that first night was more like the older sister Ashlyn never had. Anna was one of the first people Ashlyn gushed to about Mara (except for her identity, see the section about The Dreaded Closet). Ashlyn has always looked up to Anna and when it came time for someone with a much better design aesthetic to plan a wedding, Anna was the perfect choice.
Steven and Amanda Lloyd
Photographers & Videographers
We met Steven and Amanda at a wedding they were shooting and we were coordinating (shout out to Mrs. & Mrs. Colbeck for introducing us!). Ashlyn knew that night that they would be our wedding photographers. Mara surprised Ash with the deposit for Christmas 2019, and thank goodness because they are VERY good and book VERY quickly. Steven even braved that icy cold October water with us for our engagement shoot. They were a HUGE component in the decision on if we should elope to Kauai and they were SO gracious to make it easy and just say "well, why don't we just come with you?" We can't wait to see the art they capture on the big day! You can find Amanda and Steven's work and booking availability via: https://lloydphotographers.com